


The Hardest Part

by ozsia



Series: Only Six-Thousand Miles Between [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Canon - Anime, Canon Compliant, Drabble, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am so tired, Kuroko no Basuke Extra Game, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-03-28 12:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13904328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozsia/pseuds/ozsia
Summary: ‘This - this won’t be goodbye,’ Kagami insists after a pause of silence as they gaze at each other; as Tetsuya drinks him in like it will be the last time. ‘This ain’t gonna be like last time. I’m not leaving you behind.’





	1. Chapter 1

They stand at the airport with the last call approaching. Kagami should've already left. They’ve talked and Tetsuya understands, has agreed to let Kagami go to fulfil his potential and be with - a new team, in a new life. Having him come running back, when they’ve already parted, after Tetsuya walked away from Kagami and left him in departures at his gate... It makes this harder, makes Tetsuya want to reach out, grasp hold of his partner and not let go. 

‘This - this won’t be goodbye,’ Kagami insists after a pause of silence as they gaze at each other; as Tetsuya drinks him in like it will be the last time. He's breathing as though they’ve just gone into the second half of a game, harsh and desperate and Tetsuya has to ignore the fluttering of his own heart. Tetsuya's resolved to get through this goodbye, to not react. ‘This ain’t gonna be like last time. I’m not leaving you behind.’

Tetsuya was able to see Kagami’s brilliance from the beginning; could tell he's just as much a Miracle as Tetsuya's old teammates. Maybe that’s why he isn’t surprised when Kagami got that phone call. Tetsuya can’t find the words now in the face of Kagami’s promises, but he’s never lied to Tetsuya before, so he nods in agreement if only to preserve the in faith for their partnership, their friendship. 

Kagami hesitates then, before he rounds his shoulders, his expression hardening in determination as he looks at Tetsuya. He closes the distance kept between them and Tetsuya forces himself not to move back; to try and lessen the blow, as he lifts his rough hand to Tetsuya’s cheek. ‘You - no matter what, we’ll always be…us.’

‘How eloquent, Kagami-kun,’ Tetsuya states after swallowing thickly but his voice is too breathless, too emotional to fully accomplish his typical deadpanned delivery. He wants to keep them normal; to have this last memory be as least painful as possible. That does not stop him from leaning into Kagami’s touch, from his stomach fluttering through its knots.

‘Shut up,’ Kagami snaps without his usual ferocity. It’s more of a grumble. He presses in closer and Tetsuya’s gut twists when he feels Kagami’s uneven breaths fan over his cheeks. They’re so close now, getting in the way of people with places to go. _So close_. Tetsuya can’t allow himself to wish for this. ‘Just…tell me - tell me I’m not misreadin’ nothin’.’ 

Tetsuya’s lips tremble as he tries to keep them in a straight line. He _wants_ but he's wanted before, and it would be - _easy_ to step back, to just… _leave,_ like Kagami is and go back to day-to-day without him. This was infinitely harder, this could…break them in a way that Kagami’s absence won’t. 

Kagami’s eyes burn and they look straight at Tetsuya, like he’s the only thing in the world. His toes curl hopelessly in his shoes. ‘ _Please,’_ Kagami breathes. It echoes in Tetsuya’s ears as the intercom calls out for passengers running behind.

His blood sings and he feels numb as they stand so close to one another, but he’s never been a coward and he can’t start now. Not with Kagami, who’s put so much faith in him, given him so much trust.

Tetsuya steels himself, shrugs away everything his mind perceives could happen, that could make the memory of their time together darken and grey. He reaches out and refuses to be intimidated as his fingers curl around the collar of Kagami’s shirt. He pulls, a sharp tug with the strength that is enough to rival miracles. 

Kagami makes a startled noise that muffles itself against Tetsuya’s lips as they smack together. Their teeth clash before Kagami pulls back an inch, eyes wide in surprise before they settle and he swoops back down, gentler. Out of the two of them, that makes sense.

(It’s Tetsuya’s first kiss; _their_ first kiss.)

They linger but it’s over all too soon and they have to pull apart. They know Kagami has to leave, that his flight is boarding. He has to go back to America and be brilliant without Tetsuya, because Kagami could always make it on his own.

‘I’ll message you when I land,’ Kagami promises as they part.

Tetsuya nods.

Kagami steps back and it looks like it’s physically painful. Tetsuya feels it in his bones as the cold sets in. ‘This isn’t gonna be like last time,’ Kagami promises again. 

Tetsuya nods. 

‘We’ll still be us,’ Kagami continues as he picks up the hand luggage he’d dropped. 

‘Don’t…’ Tetsuya says, ‘don’t make promises you can’t keep, Kagami-kun.’

Kagami frowns but he doesn’t turn when they announce his gate is closing. His jaw clenches as he raises his fist between them, closing the distance, lips stretching into a goading smirk. ‘Trust me,’ he demands of Tetsuya. He can’t remember Kagami ever having asked before. 

Tetsuya has been burnt in the past and Kagami is fire. 

‘When you land,’ Tetsuya says quietly and refuses to blink. If he blinks, the tears will escape and he doesn’t cry. He doesn’t cry and Kagami will panic. The softie that Kagami is, gruff appearance and all, he doesn’t deal with sadness well and Tetsuya doesn’t want to guilt him. 

Kagami’s face brightens. ‘I’ll message you.’ 

Tetsuya allows a tiny smile to spread across his lips and tries not to allow it to shake. ‘Okay.’ They fist bump. Tetsuya grew up alone; he’s not clingy, has never been able to be, but here and now, he doesn’t want to let go. 

‘We’ll make this work,’ Kagami says as their knuckles continue to brush.

Tetsuya doesn’t want to hold Kagami back because he can succeed and be so much bigger in America. But Kagami's never lied to Tetsuya, and he isn’t in the habit of doing things he didn’t otherwise want to do. This would have to be more than obligation.

‘You’re going to miss your flight, Kagami-kun,’ Tetsuya warns him numbly, throat stubbornly disobedient as it tightens on him. 

Kagami blinks at him for a moment before panic morphs his expression. His feet shift and his Nike’s squeak as they catch on the floor. He mutters an expletive under his breath. Tetsuya didn’t quite expect the swooping kiss that tingles the skin of his cheek, or the hand that ruffles through his hair, like a hundred times before. Kuroko hasn't a chance - or the will, to punch him for it.

‘Twelve hours,’ Kagami calls as he turns to run, gazing at Kuroko from over his shoulder. Kuroko finds himself touching his cheek, wishing to hold the kiss in place. He watches long after Kagami has had to turn away. 

‘Twelve hours,’ Tetsuya repeats. ‘Okay. Twelve hours.’ 


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Taiga makes it to his gate, he's told that it's already closed and that he's missed the last call. The plane would be grounded for Taiga’s bags to be removed as he reaches for his phone. Kuroko, thankfully, hasn’t gone far when Taiga texts him. Taiga’s partner, so much sassier than anyone first expects, manages to slip past the airport security to wait with him at the baggage claim. It should scare Taiga more than it does.

With one raised eyebrow and a sarcastic: ‘you said twelve hours, Kagami-kun,’ it's almost easy to look past Kuroko’s bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks. Kuroko is always putting this strong front up. It's no surprise to see it today.

Taiga rolls his eyes though, because Kuroko won't appreciate him mentioning it and tangles their fingers together instead. ‘You complaining?’ he demands as he pulls Kuroko onto the free seat next to him. Kuroko goes along without compliant. He is the warmth against Taiga’s side he sorely needs in the cool, with the airports air conditioning.

Kuroko blinks up innocently at Taiga as if to say “who me?” but otherwise stays silent. Kuroko is typically a guy of few words but he's been quiet since Taiga had gotten that phone call, quieter still today. It won’t be forever though, he just has to prove to Kuroko that he isn’t leaving like they did.

Maybe missing his flight will have some positives.

It's late evening by the time Taiga, Kuroko and his luggage stumbles back to his apartment. There isn’t another flight today and the travel funds won’t transfer from his Dad’s account until tomorrow, if then, so he's stuck until he has the money to rebook. Taiga doesn’t asked if Kuroko will follow him back and Kuroko doesn’t offer.

Taiga called home outside of the airport before they left, holding stubbornly onto Kuroko without a care what anyone around them would think about it. Kuroko would have given him space; privacy, but neither of them really needed it. Kuroko lightened up a bit at hearing Taiga’s Dad’s laughter and then Alex’s exclamations on the second call, informing them not to come and pick him up, so the ribbing was worth it.

Kuroko doesn’t called his own family to tell them not to expect him back tonight, but that isn’t anything new and Taiga doesn't bring it up. Kuroko's a private person by nature and would talk about it when he wanted to and not before.

Luckily, Taiga’s keys are still in his back pocket with his phone and wallet, out of habit. It's dark when he unlocks the door but the power will still be working until next week. The basic furniture is still here too, though everything else has been boxed and ready to make the trip across the ocean.

He fumbles for the light switch, toeing his shoes off in the entrance way. Kuroko takes his time on his own; he’s always going at his own pace and Taiga grew to like that but now, with his own heart racing, it just makes him feel more awkward.

‘Do - do you want anything to eat?’ Taiga asks out of routine. He has manners dammit, no matter what anyone said on the subject.

Kuroko looks up. ‘…do you even have anything in?’ he enquires impassively but they both know the answer to that: no. No, he didn’t. The food had been the first thing to go with what Taiga hadn’t eaten given to his teammates, eager to take his offerings off of his hands.

Taiga swallows and Kuroko returns to untying his sneakers. He’s basically pulling the laces out of each loop and Taiga - he isn’t sure what to do. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this type of uncertainty around Kuroko.

‘Have I - have I made things weird, with the stuff at the airport?’ Taiga finally breaks enough to ask. He instigated where he otherwise would have waited a bit longer, but he hadn’t wanted to leave things as they were, knowing that he had to prove himself and without the time to do it in.

Kuroko stills and the silence is heavy. Taiga’s stomach begins to knot when bright blue eyes address his own with a clarity all their own. ‘That would depend, Kagami-kun,’ he responds quietly, ‘on your intentions.’

Taiga feels his face grow hot. Kuroko could be so painfully straightforward that Taiga often times doesn’t know what to do with him. It isn’t a thing in America and it certainly isn’t a thing in Japan. Usually, Taiga would try and reestablish some sense of nonchalance.

Now - isn’t the time.

‘I…kinda hoped you’d be able to tell,’ Taiga admits clumsily. Kuroko just blinks long and slow at him, waiting. It reminds him of a cat. ‘Sorry, I thought we were on the same page. I, er…really like you.’

“Dai suki da yo,” is what stumbles out of his mouth and It sounds so foreign on his tongue. Japanese, no matter how familiar to Taiga, will always be strange after he had spent so long in America. The intricacies of the language are sort of lost on him, though he's been picking more things up since he returned to Japan.

Kuroko blinks again, shoes off and stands. He seems small somehow, hesitant in ways Taiga hadn’t truly experienced before, never mind directed _at_ him.

Confessing is harder here, though. Different, not as casual as back home. With the thing he has with Kuroko, he sort of hoped he wouldn’t have to, but the more he thought of that, the more guilty he feels about it. So, he takes a breath and steps forward, reaches for Kuroko’s hand and tangles their fingers together in a way he hopes they can never come undone.

Kuroko lets him tug them closer. Taiga is always careful with his reactions; Kuroko is the kind of person who will always let you know when he's unhappy about something, usually, but there's also something fragile about him, where the damage the Miracles’ created left scars.

In contrast, Kuroko’s hand couldn’t be more strong no matter how small. Calloused and toughened through years of hard work. It's one of the first thing Taiga noticed when they first met; one of the first thing he came to admire.

Taiga swallows. Kuroko's been so important for so long, even right at the beginning when he didn’t realise where basketball was taking them. Unclogging his throat, he tries not to hesitate with Kuroko so watchful.

‘I love you,’ Taiga manages to get out through the embarrassment and the raging heartbeat engaging in violence. He’s not good at this type of thing, but - what he has with Kuroko is worth it and if it allows Kuroko to believe that this isn’t the end, that Taiga is coming back, he’ll force it out as many times as it took.

“Ai shiteru yo,” is heavier but no less true and the slight widening of Kuroko’s eyes, the explosion of a heavy blush against the milk of his cheeks is worth it. It makes him look alive, more vibrant than he has in awhile.

Kuroko swallows, grips Taiga’s hand tightly. ‘It’s not nice to mess with people, Kagami-kun,’ he states with a chiding tone he manages to make sound sincere, no matter how mockingly it's said. The punk Kuroko is.

‘Oy -’ Taiga goes to protest but Kuroko's stepping forward silences him.

‘ _I love you,_ ’ Kuroko says in English, with an accent that had lessened with Taiga's help. That isn't one of the things that they had covered together in self-study. 

“I love you” is just as odd in a language Taiga knows. His ears are burning but he smiles as he leans down, hesitating just for a moment, silently asking for permission that isn’t refused. Kuroko steps forward, leans up to join their lips in a slide that is easy, soft.

Taiga will be with Kuroko forever, if he’ll let him. Taiga just has to try and keep him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So research for this chapter: in Japan "ai shiteru yo" (I love you) is a really severe thing to say which is why Kuroko's reaction is basically "are you joking?" but like Kagami admits, he's not exactly fluent which is why I had him say it so hah .

**Author's Note:**

> So, I waited a long time for Extra Game after reading the manga; was excited to see it. It ended up depressing me even though I was quite baffled by it after finally seeing it. Like, not to sound like a crazy or anything but one of the themes of KNB has been how winning wasn't everything, that basketball was a team sport and that friendship was important. 
> 
> Which was the decision to send Kagami to America confused me. Especially since I'd read the manga. I didn't know why they'd gone for such an ending, not to mention a bittersweet ending to one of the more popular sports anime/ manga to be released. It didn't seem to fit thematically. I understand that in Japanese media, they will put an emphasises on growing up and moving on which often means leaving past relationships behind on the path to adulthood. I get that, seen it before but I just don't - get it. For KNB. Sorry, I'm repeating myself. 
> 
> I've just been stumped since I watched though it's taken me ages to getting around to this story. 
> 
> If anyone's wondering, in this 'verse Kagami does end up missing his flight and has to book another for the following day. Kagami and Kuroko will continue to talk, engage in a long distance relationship and visit one another. They both end up moving to America for a number of years although the process to get Kuroko a visa is laborious, they eventually solve the issue by marrying which is suggested to them by members of their Seirin team. It will culminate in them playing the Olympics, and despite controversy they represent Japan as the US refuses to sponsor Kuroko to play for any team due to his height. They will make a formidable team once again, becoming a press favourite (sometimes for the wrong reasons, depending) until Kuroko gets injured from a serious foul. The treatment from management makes Kagami resign and they only stay in the country long enough for Kuroko's treatment and physical therapy before moving back to Japan in the biggest "fuck you" ever. Kuroko recovers but not enough to return to professional basketball. He become's a kindergarten teacher and Kagami retrains to be a fire fighter in a fit of stubborn pettiness. They still play streetball, enjoy their friends and remain happy.
> 
> If there's any errors, I'm sorry. I'm very tired. Tired and these notes are too long.


End file.
